Improvement in nut-locks



UNITEn STATEs PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES M. OONNEL, OF NEWARK, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND WILLIAM STUR- GEON,OF DELAWARE COUNTY, OHIO.

IMPROVEMENT IN NUT-LOCKS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 117,517, dated August1, 1871.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J AMEs M. CONNEL, of Newi ark, in the county ofLicking and State of Ohio, have invented a new and Improved Nut andBolt- Lock for Railroad Rails 5 and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawing making part of this speciiication,in which- Figure 1, plate l, is a view of one side of a railroad-railjoint, showing the fish-bar and nut-fastening. Fig. 2, plate l, is aview of the opposite side of the rail-joint, showing the fish-bar andbolt-heads. Fig. 3, plate 2, is a side view, partly in section, of arail and its two grooved fish-bars, showing a nut applied on its boltand set up against a washer-plate, which latter is ready to be locked tothe fish-bar. Fig. 4,plate 2 is a vertical transverse section through arail, its iishbars, bolt, nut, and nut-fastening. Fig. 5, plate 2, is avertical cross-section through a rail and its fish-bars taken on oneside of the nut and bolt-fastening. Figs. 6 and 7, plate 2, are views ofthe bolt with V-shaped tenons on its head. Figs. S and 9, plate 2, areperspective views of two dierent forms of locking-washers. Fig. 10 is adiagrammatic representation of the mode of cutting the lockingwashers ofFig. 9 from a plate of sheet metal. Figs. 1l and 12 are views, showinghow to apply my locking-washers to nuts and bolts on the old forms offish-bars.

Similar letters ofreference indicate corresponding parts in the severalfigures.

This invention relates to a new and improved means for locking the nutsand bolts which are employed in conjunction with sh-bars for splicingrailroad rails at their joints. The nature of my invention consists:First, in the washer-plate, which is perforated atiits center for thepassage through it ofthe screwfbolt, lipped outside ofthe margin of thenut under which it is to be applied, so as to be turned out or overagainst the side of said nut to prevent the nut from turning, andslitted to prepare it for being readily depressed and made to form asplit tenon for entering a longitudinal groove in the fish-bar,substantially as shown and hereinafter described. Second, it consists ina fish-bar with a narrow longitudinal V- shaped groove in its outerside, in combination with the centrally-perforated, lon gitudinally-slit,

ted, and lipped angular washer-plate, screw-boltand nut, all appliedtogether upon a railroad rail in the manner and for the purposehereinafter explained. Third, it consists in the combination of narrowV-shaped feathers on the under side of the heads ofthe screw-bolts, thecentrally-perforated, longitudinally-slitted, and lipped angularwasher-plate, and the pair of fish-bars with longitudinal V-shapedgroove in their outer sides, all applied together and upon a railroadrail, in the manner and for the purpose hereinafter explained. Fourth,it consists in the combination of the arched extension or legs with theangular lipped and longitudinally-slitted washer-plate, whereby thewasher-plate is adapted for either a grooved sh-bar or a plain one, orwhereby both` the split tenon and the arched extension may be usedtogether on a grooved fish-bar for preventing' the washer from turning,as will be hereinafter explained.

To enable others skilled in the art to understand my invention, I willdescribe its construction and operation.

In the accompanying drawing, A A represent the ends of two sections ofrailroad rail of the well-known T-form, and B B represent two fishbars,which are intended for splicing these railsections together. Orepresents a bolt, and G its nut, which are used to clamp the iish-barsirmly to the two sides of the rails; and E represents a washer, which isinterposed between the nut and the iish-bar, and which is used forlocking the nut and preventing it from turning. Each fishbar B isconstructed with a groove, b, on its outer surface, extending its entirelength an-d intersecting the centers of the bolt-holes. The interiorsurface of each bar B is so shaped as to conform to the shape of theside ofthe rail against which the bar is coniined. These bars B may bereadily produced, with the grooves b, in the wellknown rolling-machines,by having a rib on one of the rollers corresponding in shape to thisgroove. The groove in cross-section is of a V- shape, for a reason whichwill be hereinafter eX- plained. The grooved splicing-bars may be rolledout any desired length and afterward cut up into lengths suitable forapplication to the rail-joints. The bars may be rolled with the surfaceswhich are intended to lie next the webs of the rails concave, asrepresented in the drawing, although I do not coniine myself to thisfeature. Each one of the bolts C is constructed with a cylindrical'screw-threaded shank, and with tenons o 0 011 that surface of its head0 which abuts against the outer surface of a fish-bar. The tenons orribs o 0 are V-shaped, and are adapted to enter the longitudinal grooveb in the fish-bar B, as shown clearly in Fig. 5. The tenons 0 areslight-V ly shorter than the depth of the groove b into which they areintended to be received, in order to allow the head of the bolt to bedrawn snugly home against the fish-bar under all circumstances, and toprovide for imperfections which may exist in the grooves of the bar B.The V-shape is given to the groove b and tenons o o in order that thetenons may more readily ind their places than if the grooves and tenonswere square. These tenoned bolt-heads c, in combination with the groovedbars B, will effectually prevent the bolts C from turning after they areproperly set up. Having constructed fish bars with grooves adapted toreceive extensions of the bolt-heads, I now desire to utilize the bars,having the same form of groove in them, as a means for holding a washerwhich will lock the nut G fast on its bolt when screwed up tightlythereon. I desire to do this for the purpose of obviating the objectionsto the use of fish-bars of different forms or kinds on opposite sides ofthe rails, and also for another reason, which will be hereinafterexplained. In Figs. l, 3, 4, 5, and S AI have represented my improvedlocking washer-'plate E, which is centrally perforated at h andconstruct ed with wings or lips e c el, forming segments of a circle.The wings or lips are sepa-rated by rectangular notches which include asurface equal to the area of a bolt, G, as shown in Figs. l, 3, and S.Thus it will be seen that when the nut G is set up against a washer, thelatter being held against the fish-bar on the nut-side of a rail, thesaid wings or lips will be exposed beyond the abutting side of the nut.Having thus coniined the washer E by its nut, one lip, el, is turned outagainst the edge of the nut by means of a suitable tool, so that thewasher then presents the appearance represented in Fig. 8, and will notnow turn around the bolt G without the nut also tin-ning. The washersmay, therefore, be prepared as shown in Fig. 8 before applying them tothe bolts, and they may be then applied to the bolt at the saine timethe nut is applied. Having thus shown how to lock the nut and Washertogether it only remains to lock the washer, which is done as follows:IVhen the grooved fish-bars are employed in the manufacture of thewasher from sheet-metal plates, they are produced with slits g in one ormore of their lips c, wwhich slits leave portions ofthe metal free to bedriven into the groove b, in the manner shown in Fig. 5, therebypreventing a washer from turning with its nut G, and, consequently,(with a lip, e, turned up against the nut,) preventing the nut fromturning or working loose on its bolt. The slit portion of the washer maybe driven into the groove b by means of any double-beveled edge-tool,and in removing a nut which has been locked as above described it willonly be necessary to liatten out the turned-up lip el, when the nut canbe unscrewed.

Plate 3 of the accompanying drawing represents a mode of adapting myimproved slit-washer to {ish-bars which are not grooved, and therebyadapting the washers to rail-splices, which are at present in use. Thesewashers differ from those shown by Figs. 1, 3, and 8, in that the formerhave curved legs or standards e2 c2 formed on them, instead of one ofthe lips e of the latter washers. These washers, shown by Figs. 9, 10,11, and 12, are applied between the nuts and fish-bars, and areprevented from turning by their legs resting or impinging against theupper surfaces of the rail basis. The nuts are locked by turning out thelips el, as in the washers above described. The slits g are made inthese washers last described in order that the washers with the legs, aswell as those without the legs, may be employed in combination with thegrooved rails, and fastened directly thereto by depressing the lips onopposite sides ofthe slits into said grooves b. Fig. l0 shows a mode ofstamping the washers with legs out of sheet metal without any materialloss of the stock. S represents a plate of sheet metal, and E Erepresent several washers marked thereon as they would be cut. It willbe seen that the upper edges of the highest lips e of one row of washerscorrespond to the lower curved edges of the succeeding row of washers,and that the extremities of the legs are produced out of those portionsof the metal occupying the spaces between the washers. Thus each washerwith its legs is produced from a rectangular piece which is not wider inone direction than the greatest diameter of the complete washer, andwhich is not as wide in the opposite direction as such washer.

I am aware that a pair of fish-bars has been grooved and held in placeby nut-and-bolt-locking devices or washers, but in such ease-s it hasbeen necessary to make the grooves as Wide as the washer-plates and aswide as the head ofthe bolts. This requires heavy work at therollingmill to produce the bars. It also requires that the weakening ofthe bars by the removal of so large a quantity of metal to form thelarge grooves shall be compensated for by the thickenin g of the bars;thus much expense for labor and waste of metal a-re incurred, and stillonly a clumsy joint-fastening is secured. Besides this, great accuracyin the size of the washers and in the heads of the bolts is necessary.My narrow V-groove in the iish-bars, and split and lipped washer andbolts with feathers on them, obviate all these difficulties, as thewasher plates may be applied over the grooves, their size not beingarbitrary; and, at the same time, my lipped split washerplate is usefulfor either grooved or plain iislrbars, and may be used for fasteningnuts on rails and fish-bars in use. I also am aware that screw-boltswith wings land square heads are not new. I also am aware thatwasher-plates have been made of soft metal and used in combination witha new style of recessed or shouldered nut; also, that such washer-plateshave been partly pressed down into a longitudinal groove of a lish-v bar5 but such washer-plates are not designed for use with ordinary orcommon nuts, nor are they lipped and turned over or out against the sideof the nut, nor are they slitted so as to forni a split tenon, which,without difficulty, and with a very slight force with a V-punch, will ndits place and become seated upon the sides of a V-groove in thefish-bar. I further ani aware that a washer-plate with a lip turned up,or out, or over, at right angles, is not new, and that the saine hasbeen used in connection with nicks formed in a foundation plate; butsuch nicks were never intended to be regarded as a longitudinal V-shapedgroove, such as I have represented anddescribed. I further am aware thatportions of the head of a screw-bolt have been mashed down; also,portions of a nut on such screw-bolt; but I ain not aware that any onehas ever made one or two-rolled fish-bars with narrow longitudinal V-grooves, and used the saine in combination with screw-bolts havingV-tenons on the under side of their heads, and with washer-plates whichare split longitudinally and lipped, and all applied as and for thepurpose set forth. I finally am aware, also, that keys, in connectionwith washers and nuts, have been used; also, that washerplates have beenformed by depressing thin portions of metal to form teats or tenons. Ialso am aware that Suoh plates have had a lip turned up. I further amaware that a plate has been slitted so as to turn up its lips easily,but for no other purpose; but never have I seen a plate slittedlongitudinally with the length of the groove in.

a fish-bar for the purpose of forrning a split tenon,`

which will iind its seat immediately upon the sides of the V-groove ofthe fish-bar. Therefore, while I do not olaiin any of the planshereinbefore referred to as being old,

What I do claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

1. The washer-plate E perforated at h for the passage of the bolt,lipped at e so as to beturned up or against the nut, and slitted as at gto prepare it for being readily depressed, and made to form a splittenon for entering a longitudinal groove in the fish-bar, substantiallyas shown and described.

2. The combination of the sh-bar B, longitudinal V-shaped groove b ofthefish-bar, perforated washer-plate E and h, split tenon at g of thewasher-plate, which enters the groove b, and the turned-over lip el, nutG, and screw-bolt C, all in the manner substantially as described.

3. The within-described nut and holt-fastenings o o E h g e,in'combination with the pair of lon'gitudinally-grooved fish-bars B b Bb, as and for the purpose set forth.

4. The washer-plate E, with lips e, splits g, and- Witnesses:

J. N. CAMPBELL, EDM. F. BRowN.

